


Our Time Is Endless

by In_Crime_Partner



Series: The Tale Of The Souls [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Kind of Season 1 rewrite, Soulmates AU, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-07 10:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10358697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Crime_Partner/pseuds/In_Crime_Partner
Summary: In a world where people stop aging at 18 until they bond with their soulmates, Felicity Smoak doubts whether she wants to have a relationship with her mate. It's not because she wants to live through decades. It's because she wants to spare herself the pain that comes when a mate leaves or dies. But then, Oliver Queen steps into the picture...Soulmate AU - Inspired by a Tumblr post.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Heyya,
> 
> I'm back with a "small" one-shot. I've always wanted to write a soulmate AU, so I'm very glad I finally had the time to write it. It started out as a work with barely ~4k words but then it took over and the final result is 6k words. :P I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)
> 
> It might turn into a collection but that only depends on the response this receives. 
> 
> This fanfiction is inspired by a tumblr post that I wish I could link (if anyone has the URL don't hesitate to let me know, so I can put it here), because it has many outcomes and might inspire others too. :)
> 
> No other words, enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think! :) Kudos and comments feed the fire of the Muse. :P

* * *

 

The first time she had heard about Soulmates, Felicity Smoak was only 3. She had just come home from a walk with her father when they heard her mother scream in the kitchen. Dropping everything, Noah had ordered her to stay put, and ran off in the direction of the shriek, leaving a confused and slightly nervous Felicity behind. She didn't mean to eavesdrop or go against her father's words, but when he didn't come back to the living room after minutes, the curiosity got the best out of her and she slowly tiptoed to the kitchen. At first, she couldn't hear anything, only the usual sounds of the clock and a dog barking in the distance.

Little fingers wrapping around the smooth surface of the door-frame, she peeked inside the room, letting her eyes roam over the scene ahead of her. Her mother was hugging her father while holding the phone in her hand, the tears streaming down her cheeks even though she was smiling. Of course at that age, she couldn't understand how her mother could seem happy while also crying, but instead of delving into the why question, she took a step closer and listened to her parents talking.

_"She found him, Noah. She found her soulmate."_

_"That's great news, Donna."_

_"I'm so happy for them."_ Her mother opened her eyes, her gaze colliding with hers and little Felicity watched her mother's smile widen, her arm expanding toward her. "Come here, sweetie." 

She did, running as fast as her tiny legs carried her until she reached her parents. "Daddy, up," she said, holding out her arms and keeping her eyes on the tears on her mom's face. 

"Mommy, why aw you crying?" she asked after her father picked her up.

"I'm happy honey. Remember my friend Debbie? She met her soulmate recently."

Felicity furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding the last part of her sentence, "what's a solemate?"

"Soulmate, not solemate," Donna chuckled, stroking her chubby cheeks whilst smiling up at her father, "it's someone honey, who makes you happier, who makes you whole."

She blinked up at her mother, her words confusing her more than before as her parents exchanged looks and laughed, "you have plenty of time to find yours, honey, don't worry."

She wasn't worried, she was puzzled.

"In fact, I hope he will stay away for at least five decades."

"Noah," her mother chuckled again and shook her head, her thumb caressing the little girl's hair, "you know she will meet him one day. And when she does, her man will be very lucky."

* * *

The second time she met the term 'soulmates,' Felicity was in the schoolyard. She was sitting on a bench, dangling her legs, and reading a book she got from her father that was about computers when she noticed from the corner of her eye that a group of children gathered around something. Putting the book away, she hopped down and ran there, the need to see what mystery was ahead, overwhelming her. 

It wasn't an object the younger and older kids gathered around, it was a girl who was sitting on the grass, holding her arm and examining something Felicity couldn't see because of the taller children. By the time she managed to get closer a teacher arrived, asking questions she couldn't hear by the whispering of others. Apparently, the teacher knew what had happened to the girl because in the next second, she helped her up and they walked away to where other teachers were observing the scene.

"Her mark must have appeared," said a girl from a higher class, and Felicity turned to her like others who hadn't gone back to playing.

"What mark?" a boy asked, and the brunette girl smiled before answering.

"Her soulmate mark, silly," with that she left the little group. Felicity noted in her mind to ask her mother later what that meant.

By the time she got home, Felicity was buzzing with curiosity, so when her mother arrived, she attacked her with the question right on spot, catching Donna off guard. Once everything was settled, they sat down and she explained to the 7-year-old girl what soul marks were exactly and how they worked.

* * *

Felicity had been excited by the soulmate topic later on. She wanted to learn everything about them after looking at the magical bond between her parents. How one's mate was chosen by nature. How the marks appeared. How the connection formed between soulmates. How it was biologically possible to age until 18 then stop and not age at all until the person 'bonded' with their mate. That part especially caught her interest. Every day after school she visited different libraries and shops and got books that were about soulmates. Because of that she had put her computer projects aside and focused on soulmates.

Donna was delighted. Noah wasn't.

Over the weeks, she spent less and less time with her father and more and more time with her mother.

That went on until four months later, her father left abruptly in the middle of the night.

For weeks after realizing he was not coming back, Felicity cried herself to sleep. She cried for herself, but mostly, she cried for her mother. Her sweet mother who was going through an unimaginable pain because of her. Maybe he wouldn't have left if she hadn't gotten lost in the soulmate topic. That was what she told herself every night when she heard her mother cry in the next room. She knew Donna didn't blame her, but she did. In the end, it was her fault.

Hence, as quickly as the soulmate topic got her attention, it lost it just as quickly.

To feel closer to her father, she turned to computers again, learning how they were created and how she could build one herself. A month later she built her first computer, hoping her father would come back to them.

He hadn't.

And then, watching her mother suffer through each day, Felicity vowed to herself she wouldn't make the same mistake her mother had. She wouldn't look for her soulmate and she would never bond with him even if it meant she would live through two centuries. She was hurt too, but it was nowhere near the level of pain her mom must have felt because of the stupid bond and that was what she wanted to avoid. 

* * *

When she turned 10, half of her soul mark appeared on her right wrist. The mark looked like it was made of two arrows, but since she saw half of them, she couldn't know. She just only knew why only a part of the mark was visible. While she had been in her awful soulmate haze, Donna had explained the mark would be completed once she met and kissed the one. She wasn't surprised or afraid like others in her age. She knew exactly what it meant. Pain. Awful pain she would rather avoid.

She hadn't told her mother. Instead, she bought a bracelet big enough to cover the curse on her wrist and went on like nothing had happened.

* * *

The years passed swiftly. She finished high school earlier and left for MIT, leaving behind the painful memories in Vegas. During her time in Boston, she met Cooper. They were roommates from the start and eventually they started dating.

It was easy. He was into the same things she was. Coding, coding, and coding. Testing limits and see how far they could go. For two years they were happily together. Then he brought up the soulmate topic and they had their first serious fight. He wanted to see her mark and check whether they were soulmates or not. They weren't of course and he knew that too. She would have probably run away from him if he had been and she would have found out after their first kiss anyway. What she couldn't understand was why he had asked when he was certain she wasn't his and he hers. So, she had voiced that and he had answered sincerely, which she appreciated a lot.

He had wanted to see if she had already met her mate because he was in love with her, but didn't want to be a rebound boyfriend in case she did. She had laughed then and told him he had nothing to fear because she was not interested in finding her 'significant one.' They had make up sex then and things were great again between the two of them.

That lasted only two months though. As it turned out, Cooper wasn't as honest as he claimed to be. He didn't want to see the mark to find out whether she had already met him or not. He wanted to see it so when he and his friends hacked into the International Soulmate Explorers' database, he would find him if he was registered. That wasn't the part that freaked her out the most. No, it was when she overheard what he had planned on doing to him once he did find out his name. He had wanted to have her soulmate killed.

Assassinated.

He wanted to have her mate gone and forgotten forever.

And while she didn't want to be with him, she also didn't want Cooper to kill him. He didn't deserve that. He was innocent. For reasons she couldn't explain, the moment she heard what her current-but-soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend was planning, she felt protectiveness kick in. No one was coming after her soulmate. She wouldn't let it.

She deleted all the files he had on her mark on his laptop a day later when he was out and made sure he wouldn't be able to access any data without consequences. And even if he did manage to do it, which she doubted, he wouldn't be able to recognize the mark if it was there. Since only a part of the mark could be seen it would be hard to find even with proof, but without a picture or anything, it was impossible. While each mark was unique, with only half of them being visible there were similarities that could mislead a person. Hence the reason why it took years for the organization to find a perfect match. That and the number of registers the company probably had. Felicity wasn't on that list, she was certain. Her mother did see her mark but everyone had to be there personally to get registered and she had never been to an ISE office.

But back to Cooper. The file on her wasn't the only one she found. It was much bigger. She felt naive to think there weren't others who were trying to take advantage of unknown soulmates. There was an entire secret organization dedicated to people who wanted to live through centuries by getting their soulmates killed. And Cooper was a part of that. 

She had seen the dark parts of the whole soulmate thing when her father had left. She just didn't realize it was going this deep, this dark. 

It all made sense though in some sick ways.

People aged until they reached their 18th birthdays. Then their bodies stopped aging until they bonded with their soulmate, which meant making love for the first time. Soulmates were special in that way. They didn't age until their bond was created so they could age and die together, sparing the pain of living without their mates after a bonding had happened. If someone had its mate killed before bonding that meant the person would live on until he/she was either killed or died naturally by a sickness. It could take hundreds of years for that to happen. And if someone's soulmate was born again, he/she would be killed again. 

Which meant power hungry people would use that to rise. 

Which meant soulmates were used to torture their mates.

Which meant people hellbent on revenge would use that to make someone suffer.

Which meant people who refused destiny would use that to be with others.

Her eyes had widened at that knowledge, the cruelty and dreadfulness hitting her in the guts.

Cooper had nearly gotten her soulmate killed. He had nearly gotten an innocent man killed so he could get to be with her. Some would say it was romantic. She only wanted to puke at that realization. It was anything but romantic to her.

* * *

After Cooper was arrested by a mistake he made during a hacking and hung himself in prison, Felicity dyed her hair, graduated from MIT and left Boston behind to start anew again, hopefully for the last time. What her ex had done hurt her, deeply, but she was strong and she would be able to move on like she always had.

So, she left the city behind and boarded a flight to Star City where her new job at Queen Consolidated waited her. 

* * *

She had been living there for three years when she heard his name for the first time. Oliver Queen. The playboy billionaire who had gone missing for 5 years was rescued from an island and that was broadcast all over the television for days no matter how many channels Felicity switched to. She felt awful for the guy. He had just returned home and the media didn't let him alone. They were watching every move of his like hawks. She had no idea how she would be able to breathe through the story starving press in his place.

Felicity felt bad for the man's soulmate, but since it was none of her business, she shook the stray thoughts away and got back to work. It would be a long and boring day.

* * *

A month later Mr. Que- Oliver dropped by her office. To say she was surprised was an understatement. He was her boss' son and he came down to the IT Department to ask for _her_ help. Her shock caused her to ramble and embarrass herself so much she truly wished the ground would open up and swallow her. But it didn't and as it seemed like he didn't mind her six-mile-long babbling.

Quite the opposite. He looked amused while others would have given up on her and found someone else to fix their problems. Although she was the best at her job so really, it was their loss.

Besides that one slip about his dead father, Felicity managed to compose herself quite well. That didn't last long though. Precisely until he planted a bullet-ridden laptop ahead of her and said he spilled a latte on it. Yes, he actually said that. She wasn't stupid. She knew he was lying but for reasons she couldn't understand, she went along with his ridiculous lie. There was just something about him. And she didn't mean his charming smile and handsome face. There was something about him beneath his well-protected layers that caught her interest.

She felt drawn to him.

So, she helped him and ten minutes later when he left the office, she noticed her heart was beating furiously the entire time and it just wouldn't slow down. 

* * *

Over the course of the next weeks, Oliver came back for more help. And although after his step-father and CEO of QC disappeared, his visits got less frequent, his excuses still got worse and worse. She saw right through him. Especially with the new vigilante roaming the streets at night, who by the way happened to start his crusade the same time he came back from the island. It wasn't suspicious at all. Nope. Definitely not.

She had figured him out the third time he asked for technical assistance. She wondered if he knew he could be easily busted. While she was a genius, people weren't that stupid either. If she made the connection between his two sides then so could others. But since he seemed to be doing right for the city, she didn't say a word to the police or anyone at all. She just let him continue his laughable attempts at excuse making, whilst waiting for him patiently to tell her his green secret. 

What managed to surprise her was her own body's reactions to him. Whenever she saw or met him, her heartbeat got quicker, her skin felt like it was on fire and there was an emotional void inside her that banged to be connected to him. She didn't understand why and that scared her.

* * *

It was a few months later when he finally revealed himself to her that she could finally stop pretending like she didn't know. While the circumstances of said reveal weren't the best, she did everything she could to help him. But even then, he lost a lot of blood by the time she arrived at the old steel factory and he passed out. That seriously terrified her. She didn't want him to die. He didn't deserve to die.

His family had just gotten him back.

The city's crime rate was going down because of him.

He suffered too much for his life to just end there.

He _couldn't_ die.

With those thoughts, she ran inside, looking for some kind of help, _anything_ , that could save him until she collided with a man who's name she later found out was John Diggle. Together they laid Oliver down on the med table and got to work. It was messy. His wound was too close to a bigger artery and with the amount of blood his body lost, his chances weren't that good looking. He even flat-lined once. The few seconds his heart stopped beating, Felicity felt her wrist burn, literally burn like it was set ablaze, but she ignored the pain, her sole attention on the man in front of her. They managed to stabilize him and she let out a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding.

She checked his torso for further injuries, her heart aching at the sight of the different scars marring his body, the torment he must have felt saddening her. When she found no other wounds or fresh bruises she was relieved. But that relief was short-lived. Her eyes drifted to his wrist accidentally and her blood froze, sweat breaking out on the skin of her palms. His mark was there. His _too_ familiar mark was there. Every curve, every hook, every line matched hers. Their marks were the same.

And then it hit her.

The inexplicable pull she felt toward him. The need to see and feel more of him. The burn she felt when he died momentarily. Everything happened because he was... he was...

He was her soulmate.

The realization knocked the air out of her, and she felt herself sway on her feet as her name was called out, just before her knees gave out and she fainted. Her eyes were glued to his mark until the darkness took over.

 

* * *

When she regained consciousness the first thing she noticed was the throbbing pain under her skull. It was a vivid monster hammering her insides. Felicity groaned at the uneasy feeling and opened her eyes, blinking a few times until the rolling giddiness passed.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked the voice she heard a lot in the past months, the voice that belonged to the man who was... No, she couldn't go there again. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just probably saw more blood than I wanted," she replied, her voice weak, and sat up, gripping the edge of the cold metal table to regain her balance. With the dizziness and headache she was having she wouldn't be surprised if she saw her lunch again soon. 

Felicity looked up, seeing Oliver leaning against another table opposite her, his arms crossed, his obvious muscles flexing under the gray garment of his sweatshirt. He was eyeing her suspiciously. Too suspiciously. Did he know? Was that the reason why he kept coming back for help? Or was that all fate and other stuff she didn't really believe in?

She swallowed, feeling the tension seep into her bones, wishing there was a way to break this connection, this staring match. She wanted to look away badly but her gaze was stuck on him, her skin heating up under his glance. She had to get out and away. She had to clear her head and rethink everything. 

As if on cue, Diggle stopped next to her, his broad shoulders blocking Oliver's eyes while he held out a glass of water in his hand. 

"Thank you," she flashed a smile at him and drank the liquid, her insides calming a bit at the sudden coldness. It was time for her to go. She handed him back the glass then put her feet on the ground, trying out her balance before standing up. 

"I'm glad you are alright Oliver, but I should get going, it's late and..." 

"Are you sure it's a good idea to drive home now?" Diggle asked while she gathered her purse she couldn't even remember bringing in and ignoring _his_ eyes on her back.

"Yup. As I said, it was probably the sight of blood that had me flying unconscious, but I'm fine. Really," Felicity motioned at the exit awkwardly, looking everywhere but him. When Diggle nodded, she turned on heel to walk away and just as she was about to open the door when Oliver called out for her.

"Felicity..." That was it. Her brilliant escape plan had failed. She swirled on spot and hummed, watching as he closed the distance between them whilst Diggle retreated somewhere, giving them some privacy. Traitor. She might have just met him officially but still. 

"Does this mean you are in?" A part of her felt relieved at his question and yet a smaller but louder part of her was disappointed. She didn't expect him to flat out say the truth but a hint that he knew would have soothed and freaked her out. Biting the insides of her mouth, she gulped the disappointment, burying it deep so she wouldn't be able to even recall it. She didn't want to have a relationship with her soulmate. She would like to spare herself the pain thank you very much. Just like she vowed to herself all those years ago. Besides, she needed no man. She was badass all on her own.

"I don't know. I need some time to think through some stuff but I also want to find Walter." She needed a lot of time to think about this. Her instinct was screaming at her to run away and not look back, but she couldn't leave until he was found. He was a kind person and he had to be found. Then, she would disappear.

"My step-father."

"Yes, he was nice to me and it would be great if the company had its CEO back," Oliver nodded and she took it as her cue to leave when he once again stopped her.

"Thank you," he expanded his hand and said, his voice soft. That softness calmed her racing heart a tad as she gazed down at his stretched arm, her sides fighting whether to shake his hand or not. In the end, she did, as quickly as she could before murmuring a small 'you are welcome' and fleeing away.

* * *

They grew closer as time ticked by, no matter how many barriers Felicity put up. He seemed to be making cracks in her well-built walls and tear them down one by one. The best was, he didn't even realize he was doing that or that they were slowly crossing lines between partners to friends to more. She knew it was a bad idea to stay after they saved his life. She should have left the city as soon as she was out of the lair. That way, she could have minimized the hurt and the loss, because now, she wasn't sure she could leave anymore. She had gained a brother with John's presence and a friend with Oliver's. She couldn't just walk away.

As the months passed and the happier she felt by the two new people in her life, the heavier her heart grew. She had a crush on Oliver way before she found out who he was to her and the time she spent with him didn't help her. She was slowly but surely falling for him. The only relief there seemed to be was that he didn't know. He had no idea who his soulmate was and he hadn't seen her mark.

As for their crusade, they crossed off people from the list one by one while not getting any closer to finding Walter. She saw the way his hope left Oliver and she honestly couldn't blame him. But at least the crime was lower in the city than it ever had been thanks to them. They took down the Dodger together, The Count, The Dark Archer, and other dangerous criminals. 

What had hurt her during that time was when Oliver started dating that detective. She knew she had no right, especially when she didn't want to have a relationship with him, but watching _her_ soulmate being with someone else pained her. But she couldn't tell him what she knew. One way or another he would leave her just like her father left them. And watching him be with someone was hurting her less than being abandoned again. Telling herself that over and over again, she felt more and more like she was just lying to herself. But what was done was done, so Felicity took a deep breath, shouldered the varying emotions and pretended she was okay. Oliver didn't know and all she had to do was make sure that stayed that way.

And it stayed that way, at least until his psycho ex-girlfriend decided to come back to town to hunt down her father. After days of not receiving what she wanted, Helena came after her because Felicity let herself talk at the worst time. The perfect example of wrong place at wrong time.

She had just called Oliver when Helena walked inside the small office, pointed the crossbow at her heart, and demanded answers that only she could get by hacking the FBI's database. She wasn't given any other choice so she did as the crazy woman asked, praying Oliver got her message and was on his way.

He was late, but thankfully Helena's target was her father and so, she tied her up and left without hurting her. It was when Oliver arrived and he cut the rope off her ankles and wrists that he noticed the mark. The bracelet that had been covering it was absent, the black color of the mark a stark contrast against her pale skin, calling for attention that was answered by his eyes.

She saw him still, the cogs in his brain working at full speed while she felt panic entering her veins. 

"Felicity. Is that your-"

"No. No," she crawled her hand against her chest, pushing herself against the wall as a way of creating more distance between them. Eyes wide, breaths rapid, she saw the hurt in his eyes before he took a slow step toward her. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't supposed to find out like that. He wasn't supposed to find out at all. 

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you," Felicity closed her eyes, hearing him step closer, sensing the heat that radiated from his body, expecting to feel his hand on her wrist. Instead, his hands cupped her cheeks, the gentleness in his movements making her heart ache, making her wish she could forget the past and everything and just let the emotions take over. 

"Felicity, open your eyes. Please," he asked, his voice soft, not commanding at all. He was silently asking and not forcing her. She took a tremulous breath and fluttered her eyes open, staring right into his intense blue orbs. The edge of his mouth curled up in a tiny smile, his thumb caressing her cheek gently.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned in a whispered tone not to disturb the atmosphere that settled upon them, his question holding many emotions and doubts.

"I was afraid," she replied just as quietly, seeing his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Of me?" Felicity shook her head and before either of them could say anything else, they heard footsteps and Oliver stood up, holding up his arms protectively.

"I got your call. What happened?" she heard Digg speak just before Oliver answered. "Helena."

She stood up on quaking legs as Oliver grabbed her arm to steady her. "She wanted the address of the safe house where her father's being kept. She had me hack the FBI's database. I'm sorry, Oliver."

"It's not your fault," Oliver said looking at her before turning his attention to Diggle for a second, "take Felicity home. Please."

"We are going to talk later, okay?" he added and once Felicity nodded, he stepped away and trod to the door, his body tensed, his hands clenched in fists.

"Oliver, what are you gonna do?" Diggle asked and his steps faltered enough to respond. 

"What I should have done in the first place," with that he left, the vortex of emotions dizzying her. She wasn't certain she was ready to have that conversation with him.

* * *

It was past 9 PM when Oliver knocked on her door and Felicity couldn't recall a time when she had been more anxious than now. She quickly put the ice cream back to the freezer and made her way to the door, feeling her heart beat frantically in her throat. It was now or never. Most probably. 

Counting down from three to zero, she pushed down the knob and opened the door, plastering a nervous smile on her face. "Hi," she said, taking him in with her stare as much as the low lights from the street allowed her. He was dressed in casual clothes, his hands thrust into the pockets of his jeans. If that shaky breath she shouldn't have noticed but done, told her anything then it was that she wasn't the only one with frightened nerves. She couldn't say whether that was a good sign or not. Why were they this nervous? It wasn't like they had never talked for hours before. Although, they had never talked about being soulmates.

"Hey," he greeted back as she stepped away from the door, allowing him to enter the small apartment. 

Closing the door behind her, Felicity walked over to the kitchen, sparing Oliver a glance while asking, "can I give you anything? I don't have much but I can make tea and I'm pretty sure I have a bottle of wine somewhere, so..."

She watched as Oliver looked around, probably not having heard her question. He had never been to her home before, so she could understand why he was observing every corner. Whenever they talked, they either talked while sharing a burger - of course both of them their own burgers - or when they were at the Foundry.

"Oliver?"

"No, thank you, I'm good,"

"Okay," she answered awkwardly, motioning for him to take a seat on the couch, whilst she did the same, pulling her feet under her butt and placing her elbow on the backrest.

"So..." Felicity inhaled deeply, pushing down the nervous thoughts and probable scenarios, "Where shall we start? The conversation, I mean."

"How long have you known?" To the middle then. Okay. She could do this. They were friends. There was no reason to panic even if her childhood nightmare just became real. No, saying that wasn't right. She was talking about Oliver. O-li-ver. He wasn't a stranger. They were very good friends. They were soulmates. And she was in love with him. He wasn't her nightmare, he was her dream. And that sounded way too sappy. 

"I've known since you flat lined in the lair after your mother shot you."

"That was more than half a year ago. Felicity, why-"

"I didn't want to tell you, okay? Not at first. I-I couldn't. I didn't want to go through the same pain my mother did when dad left us. And people always leave, one way or another but they do," she looked down at her lap in shame then, fidgeting her fingers nervously.

"Felicity, look at me," she didn't want to. But she wasn't given a choice. Oliver placed his fingers under her jaw, raising her head until their gazes met. Her insides shook by the intensity of his look. "I'm not your father. I know what we do is dangerous but if I had known I wouldn't have left, never voluntarily. And now that I know, I won't leave you. Never. I don't know what you must have felt, I can't even grasp it but I'm promising you to do everything I can to make sure you don't feel that way ever again. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just promise me that if you ever have doubts, you tell me," she nodded and saw gratefulness and a bit of annoyance enter his gaze, making place beside the seriousness of the moment.

"No, say it."

Felicity rolled her eyes, and answered in a slightly teasing tone, "I promise I will come to you if I ever have doubts. Is that good?"

"Yes," he smiled, the sight melting her heart a tad. She loved seeing him smile and he rarely ever did. The fact that he did in her presence, because of her made her feel lucky and gladsome.

"I'm glad we talked about this Oliver, but, and I'm sorry for saying this, I don't think I'm ready for a relationship just yet. It's not because of you, it's because of me."

"It's okay. I will wait until you are ready, even if it takes forever. We have all the time in the world, remember?" he winked at her, and even though it was impossible, her heart totally skipped a beat. 

"Oliver Jonas Queen, was that a joke attempt?"

"Only for you." How could he be the same man who went after criminals each night? How could he be the same man who shot arrows at people yet be this kind-hearted? 

"Kiss me," the words left her mouth without a second thought and for the first time, she was glad for her lack of filter when it came to talking.

"What?"

"Kiss me."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't make you wait forever without a kiss now, can I?" He huffed and cupped her cheek, his calloused thumb stroking the skin next to her lips. Her heart thundered fervently under her chest, her breathing swifter than normally as she stared into his eyes, seeing his dilated pupils. He leaned closer and her eyes slipped close when his pants reached her lips, tickling her skin a tad. While she didn't think she was ready to even have that kind of conversation with him half an hour ago, she was certain she was ready to feel him, and feel the mark on her wrist come to life as it got whole. 

For a few seconds they shared the same air, then when she was about to plead, Oliver pressed his lips to hers. She gasped, the feeling so new and yet familiar, almost like she had tasted his lips a million times before. And maybe she had, just in another life. She felt the blood rush in her ears, felt her heart thud viciously, her insides waking up to the call of his body. She wanted to feel him closer, pressed against her closer. Knowing it was not the time nor the place for that yet, she opened her mouth for him, seeking out his tongue as he sought out hers, getting a full taste of him for the first time. She moaned and the banging desire in her nerves and veins screamed for more as their tongues tangled. His fingers moved from her cheek and she expected him to push his hand into her hair to press her closer, but instead, his fingers wrapped around her mark on her wrist. Understanding his message while the kiss carried on, she wrapped her fingers around his own mark and the moment her skin touched his, a white pleasure exploded behind her eyelids, faltering the passion of their kiss momentarily. She had read about this moment a lot in books and yet nothing came close to how it actually felt. Her, now, fully dancing mark pulsed, his touch feeding her hunger, soothing her, shielding her, completing her. The void she felt when she first met him was now filled with a vortex of indescribable emotions between contentedness, relief, and delight.

The kiss slowed as the tranquility of this intimate but important moment flooded them, the pleasure she had slowly subsiding to a gratifying throb beneath the mark she shared with him. When they parted, a smile lit up her face as she pressed her forehead to his, keeping her eyes closed while caressing his wrist.

"I'm serious, Felicity. I'll wait until you are ready and in the meantime I'll prove to you that I will never abandon you. I'm not your father and I'll never be like him."

And he did prove it. He was there by her side through the good and the bad, before and after they started dating. He was there by her side just like she was by his. And while she usually didn- okay, never agreed with her mother, she was right when Felicity was three. He made her happy and more importantly, he made her the best version of herself. He made her whole like she did him. Together, they were both whole. 


End file.
